1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to strung hand held sports racquets, and more particularly concerns devices for attachment to the strings of such racquets to attenuate vibrational effects produced by impact with a ball.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Most strung hand held sporting racquets have a striking surface or face formed of two intersecting sets of parallel strings suspended by and enclosed by an oval frame. One set of strings extends generally parallel to the handle of the racquet and may be called the longitudinal strings, while the other set of strings extends generally transversely of the handle and may be called the transverse or lateral strings. At their sites of intersection, the strings are interwoven in alternating over and under paths, creating an overall pattern of rectangular apertures, each aperture being defined by two adjacent longitudinal strings and two adjacent transverse strings.
In such racquets, vibrations are produced in the racquet face when a ball is struck. The vibrations are transmitted to the frame of the racquet and eventually to the hand and then the arm of the player. It has been shown that a player who has been subject to extensive periods of racquet-induced vibrations can sustain “tennis elbow” injury to his or her arm. It is therefore desirable to reduce such vibrations both for the comfort and protection of the player.
Devices for dampening the vibrations in a tennis racquet are well known. Typical devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,180,265; 4,609,194; 4,761,007; 4,776,590; 4,909,509; 5,022,651; 5,106,086; 5,137,769; 5,792,011; 5,871,409; 6,447,411 and 7,014,579. Devices as shown in prior patents have not been entirely successful, since they are sometimes difficult to attach to the racquet face, and can interfere with the flight of the ball if struck by the ball. Also, such devices often fall off the racquet strings during play.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,143 discloses a vibration dampener device having a rubbery body with a circumferential groove adapted to grip the four strings of a rectangular aperture in the striking surface. The center of the body houses a dampening fluid and interactive ball. Although useful for its intended purpose, it does not serve to enhance the proficiency of the player or the enjoyment of the game.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a vibration absorbing device for use in a strung sports racquet.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which is easily installed onto the strings of a racquet and durably retained therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature which produces unique action activated special effects relating to enhancement of playing interest and expertise.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.